Tales of Winter
by lannerz
Summary: Ned and Catelyn didn't always love each other - at one point, they barely knew each other during their marriage - but many things can change over the years.
1. Breaking the Ice

**Author's Notes:** These are probably going to be a few one-shots revolving around Catelyn and Ned. Originally, I was just going to publish these as one-shots, but they could be used for the same little universe, so I thought I might as well just put them in one. They'll be about Ned and Catelyn's marriage when they were young, before the series.

**Disclaimer: **GRRM owns all of these characters and also my soul.

**Tales of Winter  
**_Breaking the Ice_

The sun had settled high in the sky by the time she finished giving Robb a bath. Though a mild-tempered baby, he squirmed whenever she tried to wash him. It was like he wanted to be dirty. One of the maids had said that she would give the boy a bath, but Catelyn had shooed the girl away. Robb was her child; she didn't need anyone's help in doing little things like this. Besides, despite the difficulty he caused, she rather enjoyed it. Once he finally calmed down in the warm water, he'd splash the water with his chubby, little hands and giggle brightly as she sang to him. Already he had a tuff of red hair that she would make stick up straight. By the time the bath came to an end, he didn't want to leave the little tub.

"You just never make up your mind, do you?" Catelyn said to the baby as she dressed him on the table. He was such a sweet baby; he didn't even struggle as she dressed him. She could only hope all of her children would be like this, though she doubted they would. Robb was only sixth months, but he had a bundle of energy that she sometimes could not explain. He rarely got fussy, but he was awake more often than not, which she thought was strange for a baby. She couldn't remember Edmure being so energetic at this age. She carefully set him back down in the crib where he slowly drifted off to sleep. A warm bath always made him tired.

Catelyn sighed and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. Though only nineteen, she sometimes felt far older than her age. As strange as it sounded, she was able to feel young again when with Robb. She was the Lady of Winterfell, but she there were nights when she longed to just be Catelyn Tully again, a foolish girl running around Riverrun. When she was with Robb, she could goof off and play with him. Whenever she walked out of these doors, she had to be a lady again and that meant telling people what to do and people expecting certain things of her. Sometimes, it exhausted her, especially since this wasn't Riverrun.

Winterfell was completely different. It was cold and grey. She had expected as much, but it still startled her when she got up in the morning. There were still a few disorienting mornings when she'd get up expecting Riverrun, only to look out and see snow during the summer. Of course, winter was still coming to an end and held on tight to the North, but it was still strange for her.

Suddenly the door opened, creaking loudly. Ned Stark peered into the room. "My lady–?"

"Sh!" Catelyn pressed a finger to her lips. Ned straightened up and shut his mouth. She glanced back at Robb, who remained asleep despite the noise, and tiptoed over to the door. Carefully, she slid through the door and slowly shut it. "I'm sorry for being rude to you, my lord; I only just got him to sleep."

"You don't need to apologize; you did nothing wrong." Ned looked properly abashed. There had not been a baby in this castle for a very long time, and he was still getting used to it. Her young lord husband was only twenty-one, but he already looked tired and worn from his duties as Lord of Winterfell. She knew this burden had not been meant to be his and he wore the title heavily. So often, she tried to lighten him up, but she was worried that he might always be morose and sad. He'd gained a wife and son, but had lost nearly all of his family too.

Catelyn fiddled with her fingers in front of her. "Did you have something to ask me, my lord?" They'd been married for a year, but had only just started living with one another in the past month. Now that the Rebellion was over and Robert Baratheon was king, Ned had returned to the North. He'd stopped in Riverrun, so that she could travel to Winterfell with him. They'd been living together as husband and wife for a month, and it made for more than a few awkward moments. He was still hesitant in bed, giving her space which she was still unsure if she wanted or not. He was very proper and chaste with her, almost too much. In response, she was equally shy around him.

"Oh, I just–" He seemed to struggle with the words, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. He'd had long hair before the war had started, but it had been cut short after he'd received a head wound. It was only now starting to grow out again. She liked it this length, although the one time she'd told him that he'd stopped talking altogether. "I came to see if you wanted to go on a ride around the grounds. You've been cooped up in the castle since coming here and I thought–" He turned a bit red in the cheeks, like when the cold wind blew against his face. "I thought you might to see what's outside of the castle and I could…show you around."

The thought of going on a ride absolutely delighted Catelyn. As a girl, she'd ridden all the time. It was something she was fairly good at, though not nearly as good as most of the men and women here that were trained to ride. She was sure that Ned had learned to ride before he'd learned to swim, the complete opposite of Catelyn. Besides, she'd been stuck in the castle for far too long, but had been too timid to ask anyone to take her on a ride. Her excitement must've shown on her face, but then she looked hesitantly back to the door where the sleeping baby laid behind.

"We have plenty of people that can look after Robb while you're away," Ned pointed out. "You don't have to be there every second. You should have some time to yourself as well."

_And with your husband,_ she added in her mind.

Catelyn bashfully smiled up at him. "I would love that, my lord, thank you."

It took her longer to get ready for the ride than she expected. Of course, it was different here than at Riverrun and one of the women had to get all the coats and gloves that Catelyn would need. At first, she'd felt a little off balanced at being covered up so much, but once she smoothed her skirts out and fixed her cloak, she felt ready for the ride. She didn't realize how nervous she was about it until she reached the stables and saw Ned with the horse she had road here on.

Before she could announce her arrival, Ned looked up and spotted her. "Are you sure you need all those layers?"

She blushed. "I wasn't sure what to expect…"

Ned walked the horse up to her and let her take the reins. The horse was bigger than the ones she had grown up riding. It had intimidated her at first and it still did now. Still, she smiled at her husband and then at the horse, preparing to get on the saddle. It would be difficult in these skirts, but she didn't want to ask for help. However, Ned seemed to notice her hesitation. "Are you, ah, are you okay to ride her?"

"I can handle it." Catelyn did not want to admit that the horse was too big for her to get on alone. When she'd gotten on it the first time, her father had been the one to help her on it. Ned had trotted over to her afterwards. For the time they'd been living together, she had been in command and helped him take charge of Winterfell. She went to get on the horse when her foot slipped and she fell backwards, letting out a yelp.

And she fell right back into Ned's arms. He caught her easily. "Are you alright, my lady?"

Catelyn turned around, still in his arms, leaning against his chest. She suddenly realized that this was the closest she'd been to him since they'd conceived Robb a year ago. Even when they were lying in bed together, they struggled to be close to one another. They were so painfully awkward around one another. She had tried to reach him in those moments at night, but he was uncomfortable and distant around her. She knew that it would take time for them to become intimate again, but it had been slow going. It made her nervous about herself, even though she knew that he didn't mean it.

"Ned?" They were so close to each other, their faces a mere inches apart.

"Yes, my lady?" His eyes were grey and wide.

A swell of bravery came over her. Without warning, she pressed her lips against his and kissed him. It wasn't near the first time they had kissed, but for the first time, there was no sense of duty behind it. At first, he was startled and froze up against her, but a second later, he warmed up to her. His arms wrapped around her and he kissed her more deeply than he had ever before. She opened her mouth to his and slid her hands to his face. Gods, it felt so good. She hadn't been kissed like this since…since Brandon… and she'd been so scared that she never would be again. Ned had always been distant and reserved, but for the first time, she realized that he was also capable of passion.

Catelyn pulled away for a second, if only to breath. "You don't have to call me 'my lady' all the time." She gave him a quick peck and a little grin. "You know my name by now, I trust."

Ned kissed her deeply again, and her head began to spin. "I do," he mumbled against her lips. "Let's take the ride tomorrow." When he pulled away from her, his cheeks were red again. "I have something else in mind, if you don't mind, Cat. We, ah, we ought to get to know each other more in–"

She pressed her lips against his again, already ahead of him.


	2. Homecoming

**Author's Notes:** Someone wanted a happy Catelyn x Ned fic, which are far and few in between, mostly because their love is the most tragic of love stories, so I gave it to them. Because I am a nice person.

**Disclaimer: **GRRM owns all of these characters and also my soul.

**Tales of Winter**  
_Homecoming_

She wanted to run to him. She wanted to break away from the line of people and run past all the horses and carts and knights and men. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck, have him lift her in the air, and kiss her for all to see. But she could not do that. The Lady of Winterfell would not do anything to embarrass the Lord of Winterfell. She didn't think he would get angry with her, but she could already picture a rent tint to his cheeks if she did anything like that.

Instead, she held her hands in front of her, squeezing them as tightly as she could. She was the Lady of Winterfell, and she would be strong. She could wait just a little bit longer to be held by her lord husband. It had only been a few months since she had seen him last. He had only been called away to the Iron Islands for another war. He had only probably nearly died a few times. She'd only given birth to their second daughter while he had been away. It was nothing big, nothing major.

It was nothing that hadn't broken her heart every other night when she woke up to the cries of a girl that had not met her father and an empty bed missing a husband.

When she finally saw him riding up, looking tired and worn for wear but also relieved, it took everything in her not to break line. She made a little gasp when she saw a scar on his neck and felt Maester Luwin gently touch her arm. Though she didn't look at the maester, she visibly relaxed and knew that he understood her gratefulness. Instead, she kept her eyes trained on her lord husband as his horse trotted closer towards her. When they finally connected eyes, her heart swelled with joy. For a second time, war had returned him to her and she had yet another child to show him. The crowd around them cheered victoriously for the king and chanted his name, but both she and her husband were silent as they stared at one another.

When the horse was finally close, he ordered the horse to halt and swung off of it with ease. In a matter of seconds, he was standing in front of her, holding her hands in his, eyes locked on her. Even then, she refused her childish urges to jump into his arms or kiss him until her lips were raw.

But she could not hide the smile from her face. "My lord."

"My Cat," Ned said in response, kissing her for all to see.

It was something of a shock. Ned was not the type for public affection. He saved it for behind closed doors, for only their eyes to witness. The first year they had been married and living together, it had been somewhat awkward, but they'd grown used to each other and she had learned to respect his want for privacy. After having four children, of course, they were quite comfortable with each other's bodies and desires in bed, but even then, he was very chaste in public with her. It was childish, yes, but even at twenty and five years, she felt a burst of love and giddiness.

The procession swept into the castle, but Ned remained at her side, no matter how much King Robert tried to get him involved in a drinking game or recount a story of a battle. She would be able to come down from her cloud later, but for now, she was content to be with Ned, who never let go of her hand and would kiss her on the cheek every few minutes. She'd never seen him so at ease with his affections towards her in front of others. Perhaps it was because very few people were looking at them, preferring to listen to all the war stories and jokes and booming laughter of the king. She didn't care. She had her husband back.

Halfway through the feast, Ned pulled her aside, to a little area in the hall where the noises of the excitement sounded distant and vague. Here, she was able to throw her arms around his neck as she'd wanted to do hours before and he held her for what felt like an eternity. The urge to cry crawled up her throat, but she clenched her throat tightly and fought the tears. She focused on the beat of his heart, so close to hers, and the sound of his breath tickling her ear.

When she finally pulled away, she grasped his hands in front of her. "I have someone that wants to meet you," she whispered excitedly. It was plainly obvious that she was no longer pregnant. She had seen the recognition in his eyes when he'd stepped down in front of her.

He shook his head. "Not now. It is late. She should be sleeping; and I don't want to disturb her." She could tell that he wanted to meet his daughter, but he was so tired-looking. He pressed his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "I want all these people to leave. This night belongs to you."

"They will leave," she told him, kissing him on the lips, "and all the nights will be ours again."

He opened his eyes, and they were so grey and sad and longing and happy. She did not know how a man could have so many emotions in his eyes and yet none were perceivable on his face, but after seven years of marriage, she had learned how to read him like a book. "I missed you more than I could say," he admitted. "I dreamed of you every night. I worried that something might happen while you were giving birth. I tried to picture what our child might look like; and when I found out the babe was a girl, I worried that I might not be there to protect her. I feared you might resent me for leaving again."

"No, no, Ned, I would never." She stroked his cheek gently. Why did he always look so sad, even when he was happy? "She looks just like you, you know. It's like there's not a drop of the South in her."

Ned smiled and kissed her again. "She is of you, just as much as she is of me, and she will be stronger for it."

Catelyn had been scared, when she had married Ned Stark in place of his older brother, that she might never love someone. She had been more than wrong, and she could not be happier about it.


End file.
